


What happens to hobbits when they die

by lasttoknow



Category: The Hobbit
Genre: F/M, fem&dead bilbo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-15
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-11-14 14:43:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11210208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lasttoknow/pseuds/lasttoknow
Summary: Bilbo dies at the battle of five armies and what happens after.





	What happens to hobbits when they die

Gloin looked over the fields of corpses. No matter what race they all lay together in death. What brought him out of his thoughts was a faint green glow. Securing his hold on his axe he marched around the bolder. And was greeted by a gut-wrenching sight. Bilbo lay in a pool of her own blood. The green glow was coming from her numerous wounds.   
"Bilbo?"  
Bilbo looked tired as she lifted her head. "Gloin, the others, are they?"  
"Fine lass, fine. We need to focus on you now. I'll get you to a healer." Gloin's hands shook a little. There was so much blood.  
"Too late. Its too late."  
"Its not." Gloin moved to carry her.  
"Glow means I'm dying. There's no coming back. Guess there was one hit too many."   
He looks at her wounds, truly looks. The wounds/glow is spreading slowly. Yet it only glows at the edge. In one place he can see the snow beneath her through her leg.   
He turned to her, "Lass."  
"Stay" she whispered, a tear trickling down her face. "Please, I'm scared."  
Gloin placed his axe on the ground and sat next to her. Placing an arm around her he said, "I'm not going anywhere lass."  
He saw a new hole had appeared on her cheek, slowly spreading outward. Her right leg was gone up to her thigh. Other holes were appearing and slowly spreading.  
"At least," she murmured, head buried in his shoulder, "there will be no body to burry."  
"We would have buried you with the greatest of honours lass. As a hero of Erebor."  
"I am no hero, just a hobbit a long way from home."  
Gloin thought of her hobbit hole that she would never return to. The festivals she would never partake in again, the family she would never see. Tears of his own streaked down his face.   
"When hobbits die, the glow is our soul. Green means Baggins, Gandalf will hate that. More of a Baggins than a Took. Gloin, can I ask you to do something?"  
"Anything."  
"We leave behind a plant when we die. Will you plant it please?"  
"Of course." Children of Yavanna and their plants. He had mocked her love of flowers, but if they were family, or reminded her of family, he would never mock them again.   
Wearily she lifted her head, and smiled for the last time. Then she dissolved into green light. Tiny flecks of light floated away in the breeze and Gloin was left with a tiny sapling instead of his friend.   
He scooped up the remnant of Bilbo and carried it to camp. On the way he saw others of the Company. Oin was rushing, but alive, thank Mahal, the others were scattered. Gloin was about to aid Oin when a hand grabbed his shoulder.   
“Where did you get that?” Any other time the angry expression on the wizards face and his tone would have the recipient begging for mercy, but Gloin could see the sadness lingering in his eyes.  
“Bilbo.” Just her name made the wizard age a century or two, almost collapsing in on himself.   
“Give her here.”  
“No, I promised I’d take care of the lass. I didn’t help once and I won’t fail her a second time.”  
Gandalf matched his stare and after a brief moment conceded.   
“You know, a flower represents the hobbit that they were. Bilbo’s mother; Belladonna; became a Stephanotis, meaning happiness in marriage and a desire to travel. Bungo, her father, became a Belladonna for the love of his wife.”  
Gloin mulled the words over. He remembered the tales of Bilbo’s parents, and he agreed that these flowers matched them well.  
“And Bilbo?”  
“Well,” Gandalf said regarding the silver plant he carried. It seems she had one last surprise. She is something entirely new.”  
“Is that possible?”  
“My dear dwarf, how do you think flowers came into being?”  
“Each one was a hobbit?” There was a certain amount of shock in his voice.  
“The original flower was but they spread and create new bushes or plants. Take care of her.”

That was easier said than done. He tried planting Bilbo in different locations but she seemed to wilt. Outside, inside in a pot, on the windowsill, she wasn’t growing. He had to sneak into the library and borrow books on plants (there were very few) without the others noticing. The book that gave him the most information was written by a Javil Proudfoot. Skimming through the book he found a type of plant that grew on walls. Ivy and wisteria were ones Bilbo had mentioned.  
Looking at her floppy plant he pressed the tiny leaves to the wall. The next morning he saw that she had actually grown. He was ecstatic until he realised that Bilbo was growing in his chambers. But, he couldn’t move her because after finally getting her to grow he might destroy her.  
Waiting for the caravans, Gloin watched as Bilbo grew. Her vines covered every wall and the ceiling. They had a swirl pattern dotted with leaves. Tapping the vines, they felt more like metal than plant-life. But he was not going to cut a part away from her.  
When his beloved wife and son came, they questioned the plant growing everywhere. By the time he had finished the tale they promised to keep watch on the plant. Gimli even watered her. Once Bilbo had covered every wall and every inch of the ceiling she left the pot and stopped growing.   
Left on top of the soil of the pot was a seed. Convinced by his wife he explained everything to Oin. He bellowed at him for 20 minutes for not telling him sooner, took the seed and planted it. Each time Bilbo filled a room a seed was left behind. After Oin had ran out of room in his quarters, he planted her in the infirmary.   
It took several weeks before Oin talked to him again. He was sorting bandages, his back to him.  
“You aren’t the only one that misses her.”  
“I know, but, I was there.”  
“What?” Oin turned to him.  
“You left before I could say. I sat with her as she died. She was scared Oin. She asked me to plant her and we failed once. I’ll never forget her face when she was held over the battlements. I didn’t want her to be killed again. The less that knew...”  
“The less likely she was to be hurt. Thorin mourns her too. We all do. We should tell the others, let them have a piece of the lass they miss.”  
The next seed they gave to Ori. The lad had been close with the hobbit, her death hitting the lad hard. He planted his seed in the library; surprise; and once she started to grow, everyone found out. Thorin entered Gloin’s rooms and studied the plant. When his back was turned, Thorin placed his forehead against the plant.

Each dwarf planted their seeds. Thorin had his planted in the throne room, Bombur in the kitchen (where a dwarf had a pot thrown at him for messing with the leaves) and Dwalin in the training grounds. Nori surprised them all be planting his seed in a corridor. She spread through Erebor like wildfire. When asked he simply said, “She wanted to see Erebor, thought I’d give her the run of the place.”  
Eventually each room had a vine or two dozen in it. When the anniversary of the battle of five armies came the mood was sombre. Unlike other races that celebrated victories, the dwarves mourned those they had lost for what they had gained.   
The Company and their families came together in the royal chambers. After several ales they started reminiscing.  
“Remember when we all had worms in our tubes?” A burst of laughter went around the table. Dwalin looked up from his pint, “Having worms was better than being dinner.”  
“How about when she gave us a half hour lecture about our poor manners ?” Dori sighed.   
“The food was worth it!” Bombur yelled.   
The laughter died down, when Thorin turned to Gloin. “Was it quick, did she suffer?”  
Taking a swig of ale, Gloin stared into his cup, “It wasn’t quick, but I don’t think she was in pain. I think, when her body began to dissolve she was scared because she didn’t want to be alone. She knew she wouldn’t recover, and her first thoughts were are we okay. I sat with her so she could have a friend.”  
Silence meets this. It was only broken when Ori said, “I think Bilbo is blooming!”   
They may have gotten whip lash as they turned to see Durin blue flowers grown along the vines. As each bud opened it reviled a tiny diamond nestled in the centre.   
“Lass just had to show off with being a plant every dwarf would love.” Bofur yelled.  
“I need to make a law banning harvesting the plants.” Thorin said to Balin.  
“A wise move I think.”

 

Once the dwarves had been lain to rest they saw a familiar vine of flowers around some pillars. Gloin was enveloped in a hug.  
“Thank you.”


End file.
